It was another compelling day of cricket at Hagley Oval. Kane Williamson and Corey Anderson moved through the first session cautiously before falling to Jackson Bird. Williamson did so three short of his century, which was a shame. Still, what followed from BJ Watling (46) and Matt Henry (66) was an inspired parternship of 118 to take the Kiwis from a hopeless position to setting Australia a 201-run target. Henry was simpl brilliant in pulling his side back into it. Jackson Bird’s 5-59 from 17.1 overs was an attack-leading effort for Australia.

What has followed was less ideal for the home side. Opening bowlers Trent Boult and Tim Southee helped Warner and Burns to a stress-free start before Neil Wagner removed Warner for 22 with yet another short ball and the only foot (or hand, perhaps) that Wagner put wrong was when he dropped a chance that Burns gave on 19. He’s 27 not out at stumps and Khawaja 19, so Australia need 131 more runs on day five with nine wickets in hand. Knock them off and they’re confirmed as the number one side in the ICC Test rankings.

You can join me for all of that tomorrow when we kick this thing off again from the first ball of the day. Thanks for your company throughout the day.

Australia end day four needing 131 to win second Test against New Zealand

Stumps on day four - Australia need 131 more runs on day five

20th over: Australia 70-1 (Burns 27, Khawaja 19)

And that is stumps on day four at Hagley Oval in Christchurch. It was a speculative over from Corey Anderson to finish but Burns is happy to negotiate his way to stumps without undue risk and turns a single with a few balls left to hand over the honours to Khawaja. The latter has something of a rush of blood on the penultimate delivery, launching an ambitious cover drive when the ball is too far away from his body and almost dragging it on, but survives.

Australia have been made to work for it today but finish the day with 131 to make and nine wickets in hand on day five. I’ll be back in a sec with a wrap of the day’s play.

Wagner’s still plugging away and it’s a strange field to Burns; one slip, a gully and a two shortish point men. He’s ever so slightly fuller in length but not offering anything that can be driven. By the end of the over he’s receiving warm applause from the remaining spectators as he heads down to the fence. He’d probably bounce them too if they didn’t offer it.

Is Trent Boult really sending it down at 137kmph? Check the speedo, I reckon. He digs one in short to Khawaja and it sits up for what feels like minutes before the batsman swivels around and cranks it to the fence. With a couple of twos it ends up a profitable venture for Khawaja. We’ll have two more overs today, it appears. Survive unscathed and the Aussies are well placed to knock off the rest of the runs tomorrow.

New Zealand’s Neil Wagner is throwing himself into the task at Hagley Oval. Photograph: Ross Setford/AP

I think we’ve just seen why Neil Wagner sticks with bouncers. He pitches one up to Khawaja here and with not a single man in front of square on the offside, it would have still gone for four if he’d only hit it half as hard. Less convincing from the Aussie is a dab around the corner that’s almost snaffled by leg gully but it does bring a single.

Usman Khawaja has never looked flustered in his life and he’s not about to change that in such picturesque surrounds as these. He takes his time before working a single off Boult and it’s the only damage for the over. We’ll have half an hour more at Hagley Oval; enough time for Australia to rattle up 25-30 more runs but also, as we’ve seen before with these two sides, long enough for a mini-collapse.

Wagner’s injury confirmed:

BLACKCAPS (@BLACKCAPS)

Wagner putting in an inspired spell. He's split the webbing on his left hand so is bowling angry, short & fast. Interesting viewing. 54/1

Wagnerline continues unabated with the left-armed fizzing down short ball after short ball to the Australian pair. Are the umpires going to step in? Should they? I say let him go for it. It’s brilliant to see a man bowling at 132 km/h but genuinely believing that he’s the second coming of Michael Holding.

michael tilley (@MrTills)

@rustyjacko Ian Smith would go apoplectic if Starc did this to the Black Caps.

With Henry operating to diminishing returns, McCullum brings Boult back on from his end in the hope that he can wiggle out Khawaja. The latter drives a little awkwardly away from his body but still manages three with his superb timing of the ball.

Neil Wagner is quite literally throwing himself at the task now and goes crashing to the turf in his follow through as Khawaja gets off the mark. Much like in his six-wicket haul in the first innings, it’s all bouncers, all the time. It’s entirely predictable and yet the only bowling tactic that has consistently troubled the Australians.

WICKET! Warner c Watling b Warner 22 (Australia 49-1)

Warner’s gone! It was a big deflection off the glove as he tried to tuck the ball down to fine leg and Watling moved around to take the simple catch. It’s taken a review to establish it but the Kiwis have a breakthrough!

REVIEW! Wagner thinks Warner has edged behind to Watling

There’s a long delay in the middle of this Matt Henry over and nobody seems to know why until 12th man Mark Craig runs out a pair of replacement keeping gloves for BJ Watling. Surely the others didn’t buckle under the strain of the bowling? Henry musters up a comical misfield off his own bowling to send the ball ricocheting away for a single to Warner and then Burns almost chops it onto his stumps but instead gets two. Perhaps it’s not New Zealand’s day after all.

Umpire Martinesz is getting sick of Neil Wagner’s short stuff so after warning him about it first, calls him for a no ball late in this over to Burns. It’s actually an entertaining sub-plot though because the bowler looks antsy about having his fingers crushed when he dropped a catch off the Queenslander a few overs back.

Better stuff from Henry, who nags away on a good line and length to Warner and bowls a maiden. By the end of the over the only major action is when Richard Kettleborough warns Tom Latham about bouncing the ball in to the keeper with his throw.

I’m not sure how sustainable it is but after having the pinkie and ring fingers of his bowling hand taped together, Wagner grabs the ball and sets off for his first over of the innings. Perhaps it’s not surprising that his first delivery is short and sits up outside off stump for Burns to flash a cut shot to the fence. The man who maimed him is now taunting him. Wagner’s clearly in pain but limits the damage for the rest of the over, which features five more short balls. He’s nothing if not consistent.

Australia’s Joe Burns has started brightly in the second innings. Photograph: Marty Melville/AFP/Getty Images

Joe Burns is dropped by Neil Wagner!

8th over: Australia 39-0 (Warner 19, Burns 19)

Henry’s got three slips in place but he’s hardly bursting through crease to the Australian pair. There’s a no ball and Warner punches three runs through cover. And then....a drop? Yes, Burns has pulled a short one hard and flat at Neil Wagner, but the first innings hero puts down the chance at mid-wicket and it bursts through his fingers for three. Did he even see that coming? It’s losses all round here; the missed chance, the runs and Wagner was just about to come on for a bowl but instead his hand is being inspected by the team physio. Oh dear.

A boundary per over is a bit of a problem for New Zealand. Now Burns cracks Boult through mid off to hit the fence. The rest of the over is fine but at this rate the Australian’s will knock off half of their target by stumps.

Time is off the essence here and Brendon McCullum knows it, so brings Matt Henry on straight away in the hope that he’ll force a breakthrough. Not atypically for the burly right-armer, his first ball is a shocker and gets pulled out to the fence by a grateful Burns. It’s not an entirely convincing start from Henry.

Not content with letting Warner have all the fun, Burns rocks back to Boult and obliterates another short ball over cow corner for a boundary. This has been awful bowling from the Kiwis to start with. In three overs they’ve undone a decent portion of the good work throughout the day. Both Australian batsmen have accordingly made a confident start.

Michael Wagener (@Mykuhl)

Why are Southee and Boult bowling into the wicket? Surely if there was a time to pitch it up, this is it? #NZvAUS

Warner gets a half-tracker off Southee too and New Zealand can ill-afford such charity early in the left-hander’s innings. He hammers it to the fence at deep cover and then goes again over the head of the man at gully. He’s almost knocked off 10% of the target already. If I may be so self-indulgent, here’s another Sunnyboys song and almost definitely their best video.

Okay, we’re under way in Australia’s chase with Joe Burns turning a single down to fine leg off Trent Boult. Raymond Reared, meanwhile, has a question. “Whilst you are sweltering in Melbourne, are you going for the Sunny Boys and their Eskies to win the test or the Icy Pops and their Chiily Bins?” If I had to stake my house on it, I’m taking the Eskies, Raymond, rather emphatically backed up here when Warner belts Boult through point for a boundary.

Jackson Bird gets five, Boult's out and Australia will chase 201

WICKET! Boult c Pattinson b Bird 0 (New Zealand all out for 335)

Boult skies one and the New Zealand innings is finally over. As a result of that Bird ends up with a much-deserved five wicket haul and the Aussies will soon set off in pursuit of 201. Bird ended up with 5-59 from 17.1 and Pattinson 4-77 from 26. The rest of them struggled this afternoon. I’ll be back shortly with the start of Australia’s chase.

Phil Withall had emailed in again moments before Henry perished. “This is compelling stuff,” he said. “I’m hoping for a century for Henry, a lead of 260 or so and the onset of a mysterious illness that will keep me out of work tomorrow.” Surely a simple google search by the boss would have you in trouble, Phil? If that’s your real name... Anyway, Hazlewood huffs, puffs and and shoots a lot of dirty looks, but he’s just too good to take Wagner’s edge and not straight enough to hit his pegs. Could be a hint there.

WICKET! Henry b Bird 66 (New Zealand 335-9)

Henry is robbed of his fairytale hundred! A ludicrous statement? Sure, but what a gem of a knock it was. The returning Jackson Bird cleans him up, neck and crop, but he’s caused real pain for the Aussies in the last few hours and thanks to the efforts of he and Watling, New Zealand hold a 200-run lead and a realistic chance of winning this Test.

Here we go. Pattinson charges in to Wagner and tails one away beautifully to pass the outside edge. Wagner works a couple through gully to stretch New Zealand’s lead past 200 and into dangerous psychological territory for the tourists. Hazlewood looks like someone stole the jam from his donut.

New man Neil Wagner gets off the mark by turning a single down to fine leg and it’s probably worth reflecting now not only on the value of that partnership but the fact that so many batsmen in this match have been caught at square leg. It’s like a junior match. Anyway, Henry keeps his superb knock going by heaving Pattinson across the line for a straight boundary. The bowler looks personally affronted by the sight of it. New Zealand lead by 198.